Summer break is underway and students are out and about in the world waiting for another year to begin. Hogwarts is currently closed with professors planning lessons and getting everything ready. With students out in the streets, does that make them safer or not? It seems as though something is out brewing on the horizon. Something that no one is quite ready for.

See if you can find a place in the world of Harry Potter, there is much to choose from; magical abilities, creatures, students, adults, etc... See if your loyalty is with the Order, the Death Eaters or the Guardians..make a choice...take a stand...

Where do you belong?

Hogwarts: A Time of Change

Times are changing and we need to decide where our loyalties lay... light or dark? You choose...

"What's the point of pretending to be?" Gavin returned with a smirk when she called him modest. It was very obviously something he wasn't and so he didn't go around pretending to be. He knew he was intelligent and why not flaunt what he had? At least that was how he thought of it. Just like Rowena shouldn't have been modest about her abilities when it came to her wand work. She had every reason to brag and be proud of what she did. He enjoyed the sight of her smile, his own smirk threatening to dissolve into one as well when she spoke. "Yes, as you should." He said sincerely, because he really had meant it as one. "And I'm glad to hear it." He responded with amusement, his eyes twinkling as he met her gaze. But he realized that he ought to stop distracting her long enough to let her do her job, in case by some chance people suddenly decided to come in. He didn't want to leave her scrambling.

And so he kept relatively quiet as he followed her toward the back, admiring everything he saw along the way. By the time he glanced back to Rowena he noticed she was blushing and it took him a moment to realize why. It made her look even more beautiful and he had to bite his tongue to keep from informing her of that. As comfortable as he had quickly gotten around her, she was still a shopkeeper and he had to watch himself. They weren't old friends, they weren't anything of the sort and he didn't want to creep her out. Her laugh was just as lovely and the smile on his lips continued to be genuine, something that was strange because usually such an action coming from him was forced. "I wouldn't imagine so." He said, letting his mind paint a picture there for a couple of seconds, a chuckle tumbling past his lips as he did so. With as many wands as she had in there, it would probably be a right disaster if she didn't somehow manage to know where everything was. Luckily, she did.

He nodded when she confirmed that where they were was fine, happy to oblige with her choice of where they would be sitting. Following her the little ways off while balancing the wands she had selected, he smirked in response to her words. "But of course, an offer I simply cannot refuse, Ms. Ollivander." He returned fluidly, his long legs folding as he sat down opposite of her. He placed the boxes in the middle of them before gently opening the first one. The moment he had it in his hands, however, he knew it wasn't right. There was absolutely no familiarity or the zap he was looking for. Frowning, he shook his head before pacing it back and gently sliding it off to the side. The second one he tried, the results were almost instantaneous. He practiced a basic charm with it and after a moment, he looked up with a grin while dangling the selection proudly in the air. "I believe we have a winner!"

"You make a good point, why hide what you're at," she mused as she studied his face. It wasn't like she pretended to be a bad wand maker. She prided herself on being one of the very best and made no apologies about the fact. Though she did behave a little modestly when someone offered her a compliment, it was a habit she found hard to break as her mother had always taught her to be modest. When his gaze lifted to meet hers she found herself smiling once more at the look in his eyes, it was captivating. Rowena shook her head to clear the thought away. "Back to business," she murmured softly to herself when she had realized how much of Gavin's time she had taken up.

Rowena could only imagine what he had visualized to allow such a chuckle to escape from his lips. Probably something similar to what she had thought of and she allowed herself to enjoy the sound. She always felt like laughter was important and should be shared. Only to interrupt so he could finally try out the wands she had chosen for him. "Glad to hear it," she murmured back with a warm smile, her hand extended as she gestured to the place opposite her. Once he set the boxes between them she bit her lip, hoping that she had at least chosen one that would suit his magic. As he picked up the first wand she found herself leaning closer, her teeth clamped firmly against her bottom lip as she watched him expectantly. She frowned in response to his own and let out a small sigh of disappointment. Once the second one was in his grasp she could see the instant connection from his face and her face broke out into a bright smile. Rowena's hands clapped together excitedly. "Great! That's quite the wand you've chosen and without much trouble either," she teased softly, reminding him of his earlier words.

She lifted herself onto her knees to grab the discarded wand boxes. "Shall we return to the front counter so I can ring you up?" she asked curiously. As she waited for his answer she stood up to return the boxes to their rightful places. Rowena wrapped her arm securely around the box as she climbed the ladder one handed, sliding it back into place before climbing back down and leaning comfortably against the ladder steps.

Gavin realized he'd been within the shop for a while now, and felt particularly guilty about taking up so much of Rowena's time. Though he was going to be a paying customer -- because he wasn't leaving without a wand -- he figured he ought not feel as uncomfortable as he did. If other customers came in, it would have been a different story but she'd been all alone since his arrival. They'd had the store to themselves and so she would have just been finding other things to do had he not shown up. He took comfort in that reminder as he settled in beside her on the ground, ready to try out the wands she'd selected specifically for him to try out.

She was probably even more excited than him when he quickly seemed to connect with one of them, and seeing her radiant smile only caused him to grin. A modest one, of course, which was standard for him, but still a smile nonetheless. "What kind is it?" He asked curiously, genuinely interested in which he had selected this time when the one he'd had last time was quite so unique. Understandably so, he supposed, coming from Salem and all. Maybe the components were different in the United States then they were here in London, which he supposed he was about to find out. When she lifted herself up on her knees he gently helped by handing her the other remaining wands that she'd taken down before standing up himself as well.

He kept his selected wand in his hand as he watched her stand, putting the other wands away before coming back down and leaning on the latter. His eyes met hers for a moment and he said nothing, before realizing the staring with the silence and he cleared his throat. "Yeah, of course. After you," he said, sweeping his arm graciously in front of him to allow her to go first. He was actually rather disappointed that his time with her was fast approaching. Though he was excited to have his new wand, he didn't want to stop talking to her just yet. Strange..

As a modest smile crossed his lips she found her eyes momentarily pulled from the wand and to his face, he seemed most handsome when he was smiling however small or large as she had seen both during his visit. She let her gaze travel from his eyes, down his nose and momentarily to his lips where the smile was set when she noticed they were moving. Rowena's gaze snapped up from her perusal to follow what he was saying. "English Oak, 12 2/5 inches with the tail hair of both a thestral and a unicorn entwined," she responded automatically. He was probably one of the very few who had ever been curious enough to ask her instead of just reading up on the card she placed atop their wand box. "Do you know anything about wands created from English Oak?" she asked curiously, eager to see if he had ever felt compelled to read up on the subject of wand woods. Not that she was really holding her breath, but the man had already surprised her numerous times so she could have been wrong in her assessment.

"Thank you," she murmured softly as he handed her the wand boxes. Which were easy to put away given their decision to try them out in the middle of the floor hidden from view. As she turned back around she found that he had also stood up. She felt the tiniest stab of disappointment that soon she would get everything wrapped up for him and he would be on his way. Rowena had truly been enjoying his company and even though she had taken up so much of his time already she found herself wishing to steal just a bit more, but she wouldn't ask. Though she couldn't help but lock her gaze as she waited for him to respond to her and she was surprised to find him already watching her. The silence seemed to grow until he finally cleared his throat and gestured for her to go ahead.

Rowena pushed off the ladder and bit back a smile as she started forward. Just as she was about to pass him she couldn't help the teasing comment that slipped out, "Afraid you'll get lost?" Her smile was playful as she glanced up at him as she moved pasted him so he would know she was only joking.

Although Gavin had at first been enraptured by the wand selection, he quickly became aware of the fact that Rowena seemed to be watching him closely; maybe even observing. Eyes slowly flickered up from the wand box to her face, attempting to catch her eyes though they seemed interested in analyzing his other features. Though he had been grinning before he felt himself beginning to smirk, a slightly devious one wrapped into that of mischief. His eyes were still waiting for that of hers when she seemed to realize her actions and her gaze snapped up to his, causing a chuckle to tumble past his lips. "See something you like, Ms. Ollivander?" He couldn't help but tease.

He knew it was probably incredibly out of line to even say to the store owner but deep down, something had encouraged him to say it. His gut was telling him that she wouldn't be offended, or even upset by his slightly bold words, and he was always a chance taker. Why watch himself when his time with her was coming to a close? If she took offense, then he'd simply apologize and be on his way. He had already selected his wand, so the tension wouldn't last for more than a few minutes. He listened closely as she explained to him his new wand, and his devious look was overshadowed with one of immediate curiosity once more. A look that he felt probably suited him much more. "English oak, huh?" He mused absently, unable to wait until he could remove his wand from the box and run his index finger along the smooth finish.

"I've actually heard a bit about it, but I never did think I would receive a wand made of it," he confessed with a shrug of his shoulders. She put the wands away and the pair got stuck in another staring contest, to which Gavin heaved another inaudible sigh. Something was shifting in the atmosphere, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She moved past him and hearing her teasing comment, he lifted a brow. "While that's quite likely, perhaps I just enjoy being a gentleman to a woman like you that deserves it," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. He followed her to the counter and fished in his pocket for his wallet, waiting until she told him the total before offering it over to her. As he was getting his wand box and getting ready to turn and leave, he decided to take a chance. What could it hurt?

"Ms. Ollivander, I know this is awfully forward of me, but I've enjoyed your company this past hour or so and I was wondering if you would be interested in going out for a drink or maybe even dinner sometime?" A pause as he leaned against the counter. "Feel no such obligation, of course. Merely an extended offer of mine, gratitude for helping me find another suitable wand." And now, it was all up to her whether she was comfortable or not.

If Rowena had any hope that Gavin hadn't caught her study of his features it was soon dashed aside by the chuckle that erupted from his lips. Her cheeks instantly turned pink which only brightened at his question. She was almost surprised he asked, but that didn't stop her from responding with a mischievous smile of her own. "I believe I do, Mr. Stevenson," she replied back formally, fighting back the smile that threatened to escape.

She only hoped that he wouldn't take her blunt response badly, but given how his visit had turned out she had felt comfortable responding in kind. There had been a lack of professionalism since the moment he walked in, but she didn't dwell on those thoughts. He would be leaving soon and it would be his choice to see her again or not.

"Did you have any thought to the type of wood you would have in a wand?" she asked curiously when he mentioned English Oak. It was a pleasant surprise that he knew anything about wands, but that only led her to wonder more about him. He had spent an exorbitant amount of time hearing about her and what she did and she hadn't the faintest idea what he did in life. The question was on the tip of her tongue, but as she prepared herself to ask her eyes caught his once more.

It seemed to happen frequently, but something seemed different. The air was more tense and she found herself breathing out before slipping by him. Rowena briefly paused to glance up at him when he replied, but she merely nodded and kept toward the front counter. An as he handed her the total she placed it under the counter as she chewed on her bottom lip. Should she mention him visiting with his previous wand just to see him again or just give him the usual spiel?

"Rowena," was her automatic response when he called her Ms. Ollivander without the teasing before she realized what he had asked. Her lips lifting into a warm smile as she placed her hands on the counter. "Call me Rowena... and I would love to join you for dinner or drinks. I've found I have enjoyed your company as well, Gavin." After a beat she ran her fingers through her hair before grabbing a spare piece of parchment. "I can be reached at this address or here. I practically live here at times," she joked as she folded it in half and held it out for him to take.

Although Gavin felt the shifting happening in the atmosphere well before either of them had acknowledged it, he had to chuckle at the fact that it finally seemed to be rising completely to the surface now that their time together was drawing to an end. Not that he was complaining, of course. In fact, the slightly flirtatious nature of their words, though ever formal, was a pleasant surprise for the man. "Glad to hear I'm not the only one enjoying the scenery," he replied back in a not-so-coy fashion. He'd been admiring her since the moment he'd stepped into the shop, though he hadn't dared mention it until now because he hadn't wanted to make her feel uncomfortable.

"If I'm being honest, no. I did not. After the uniqueness of my last wand, I hadn't the faintest idea what I would end up with this time." He admitted sheepishly. But he was happy she'd helped him find another one just as suited to him as his last had been, maybe if not better. He'd grown and he'd changed since his first wand, and so naturally perhaps this one was better suited to how he was now as a person. At least he knew that if the pair of them ever ran out of things to say, a great go-to conversation would be about wands, different woods, cores, and more. He'd gone ahead and followed her to the counter, cashing out, and soon, the invitation for drinks or dinner was out in the open.

He smiled -- something he'd been doing far too often around her -- when she insisted she call him by her first name, and no longer her last. Sliding past formalities. And he found he quite liked the sound of his name when it came from past her lips. "I will be in touch then, Rowena. Thank you again for your time," he said with a playful wink, surprising even himself. With his new wand box in hand and the folded piece of paper, he waved before letting himself out of the shop, undeniably happy with how things had turned out.